The Thrill of the Chase
by glitters and gold
Summary: Magnus is convinced Percy is gay. Annabeth is just as convinced that he's straight. Meanwhile, Percy just tries to deal with suddenly becoming the target of the Chase family. :: Mortal AU.


Fair warning: I have not read Magnus Chase, and couldn't even be assed to do a Google briefing before writing this. (if you couldn't tell from the title—which is a literal pun—I didn't intend for you to take this too seriously).

I'm an absolute sucker for bi!Percy and close platonic relationships and so when y'all started gabbing about how Magnus is definitely gonna think Percy is hot I saw an opportunity and I took it.

* * *

When her cousin comes home gushing about a boy, Annabeth really can't find it in herself to pay attention. The first couple times it happens, her ears definitely prick, because, okay, Bobby and Matthew weren't just teasing, Magnus is actually gay. But after a few instances, she starts to tune it out, because, as she's learned, Magnus has a habit of becoming completely infatuated with a boy that he's never met and ending up seven different types of brokenhearted, and also, he exaggerates. A lot. Like right now, for instance: Annabeth seriously doubts that Magnus' current fixation really has eyes like the ocean and raven-dark hair.

Annabeth's currently perched at the kitchen counter trying to get through Pre-Calc homework while Magnus gabs away enthusiastically with her stepmother, who is totally eating it up. Annabeth is working hard to tune them out, but her ADHD really doesn't help much with tuning _anything_ out, and so here she is, with her pencil still poised to begin question three, listening while Magnus starts fussing over the new kid's _cheekbones_ and _jawline_ and _oh my God, Aunt Angie, you really need to see his eyes, I'm not kidding._ Annabeth thinks darkly that she's going to need to keep him out of bad YA fiction, and is about to say so, when Magnus plants his hands on the edge of the counter and leans in like he's about to tell the big punchline.

"And. _Get this,"_ he says, glancing between her stepmother and Annabeth, who isn't even bothering to pretend that she hasn't been listening anymore. "I think he's gay!"

Annabeth raises her eyebrows, because out of all Magnus' tirade, that's new. "How do you know?" she asks skeptically.

Magnus buffs his nails on his t-shirt, looking very pleased with himself. "He hit on me."

Annabeth stares at him for a second. "No he didn't," she decides finally, and Magnus huffs dramatically, shooting her a put-upon look.

"He _kind of_ hit on me."

" _Kind of,"_ Annabeth scoffs. Magnus glares.

"Okay, fine. I tripped in the hallway, and dropped my books, and he stopped to help me pick them up. And by then, I like, lost my shit, because I recognized him, you know, but we'd never met, and what a stupid way to meet someone, right? So I was just gonna say thanks and book it outta there. And then the bell rang, so I was like, making the excuse that I had to run to class! Except when I turned around," he stops again to glance between them, arching an eyebrow, and Annabeth is vaguely pissed off at herself for feeding his attention addiction because he's absolutely reveling at keeping her in suspense. "He said, 'Hey, Cinderella, you tryna leave me a glass slipper?' And I was like, flipping the fuck out, and then I turned around and I saw that he was holding my notebook. So I said, 'No, but I'll leave you my number.'"

Annabeth's stepmother's eyebrows shoot up and she pulls her head back, letting a low whistle slip out of her mouth, but Annabeth refuses to give him the satisfaction of reacting just yet.

"And get this!" Magnus says, yelling, now, "He said, 'Yeah, that would be great.'" He looks between them animatedly again, and then repeats himself, as though it wasn't dramatic enough the first time he said it. "'Yeah, _that would be great,' Annabeth,"_ he stresses. "Listen, bros don't exchange numbers that way. Gay guys do."

Her stepmother _hmms_ in conference. "That sounds pretty gay to me, too."

"It does," Annabeth admits, and Magnus fist pumps the air.

"I know, right?"

And then he sighs. "It was just like a movie. And he was so _witty,_ Annabeth, dear god, my heart. The _bell rang_ and I left my notebook behind and he called me _Cinderella._ I mean, how clever, right?"

"Very clever," her stepmother agrees indulgently. It _is_ kinda clever, Annabeth has to admit, albeit a bit cheesy for her tastes, but Magnus obviously loves it, so she figures they're suited to each other. That is, assuming Magnus doesn't get over it within a week.

Annabeth points a finger at his chest. "Hey! You're gonna start flirting with a gay guy, you better make sure you're really serious, this time."

Magnus rolls his eyes, like she's being oh-so-childish. "Well obviously I'm serious now that I know he's _gay,_ Annabeth, Jesus. Nobody takes straight guys seriously, everyone knows that."

Annabeth raises her hands up in a sign of surrender. "I just don't want to see this backfire, you know, _again._ Like it always does."

Magnus sticks his tongue out, and leaves the room to go play Smash Bros with her brothers, and Annabeth finally gets started on number three.

—

As though they're stuck in some cosmic twist of fate, Annabeth has her own run in with a Prince Charming the next day, only she's not half as excited to share it as Magnus had been.

She's in English, which she hates by default, because it's the first class of the day and it's difficult for her, due to dyslexia. Annabeth is able to manage her dyslexia now, but not well enough to compensate for flunking all through middle school, and so here she is. Annabeth runs with the AP and honors kids, and therefore this is her only class without at least one friend, so she sticks to herself and tries to keep her head down, because yeah, even though she knows she shouldn't be embarrassed, she's embarrassed.

She's pulling her essay out of her folder, when her hand accidently hits the coffee she has perched on the corner of her desk, and Annabeth's heart stops, because her phone is right next to her coffee and her essay is right next to her phone and she's going to lose all three in one fell swoop, she can just tell. She feels like it's happening in slow motion, and she still can't make her hands move fast enough to stop it. And then, miracle of miracles, somebody else's hand intercepts it.

"Wow, that was a close one," he says, hand outstretched, offering her back her coffee. Slowly, as though in a trance, Annabeth raises her eyes up to his face, and _oh, oh dear._ She recognizes him, of course; he sits behind her in English every day. She only knows him to the extent that she knows his name is Percy Jackson and his hobbies mostly include sassing the teacher and roaming the hallway with his eccentric gaggle of friends. Annabeth would be lying if she said that she didn't wish she knew him just a bit better than that, but she's never gotten up the nerve to talk to him—contrary to her, plenty of his friends are in English with them so he's never short on people to chat with, and anyway, they run in different crowds. Annabeth's never been particularly good at making the first move anyway, and she's still a bit frustrated with herself for being so attracted to him in the first place. And now, with him hovering next to her desk, with those very sharp cheekbones and very nice jawline and very dark hair, looking at her with those very green eyes, Annabeth might possibly find herself just a _little_ short of breath.

Annabeth suddenly remembers that her mouth is hanging open, and she's staring, rather intently. Oh, shit. She blames it on her horror at the accident about to take place, and accepts her coffee from his hand. Their fingers brush, like some ridiculous rom com, and Annabeth simply does not have enough denial in her to ignore the tingle in her fingertips.

"Thanks," she says. "I'm pretty sure you just saved my life."

He smirks, and Annabeth's cheeks heat up. "Happy to oblige, princess."

Normally, the comment would bother her, but coming from him, it just sounds kinda… hot?

She raises an eyebrow at him anyway, because of course she's not going to let him _know_ that she's quite the opposite of bothered by the comment.

"Don't go pushing my gratitude," she says wryly, and he laughs. It's a nice sound, light and friendly, in contrast with the edgy and slightly obnoxious vibe that he sometimes gives off.

Percy gets a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "Would it be pushing it if I asked for your number, too?"

Annabeth's smile is slow, but genuine. "No," she admits. "It wouldn't."

—

A day later, she's stretched out on the couch texting Percy, trying to hold herself back from grinning like an idiot. It's not like there's anyone around to see it, but it's just the principle of the thing. It's just stupid stuff, but he's funny and she likes him and it's easy to think of a response, so she's enjoying herself anyway. She's just sent her latest response when Magnus comes and shoves his phone in front of her nose, blocking her view of her own phone. Annabeth frowns and tries to pull her head back, but since she's laying down, there's nowhere for it to go.

"Gay, Annabeth, I told you!"

"And I believed you," Annabeth sighs, swinging her legs around and taking the phone from Magnus to squint at the screen. The contact reads _Prince Charming_ with a heart emoji, and Annabeth makes a gagging motion. Magnus swats at her half-heartedly and tells her it's rude to make fun, to which she laughs, and finally gets around to reading the texts.

 _See, I was gonna invite you over after school tomorrow,_ reads Magnus' message.

 _Any reason you're not?_ is the reply.

 _Well, the GSA meets after school, and I was kinda guessing you'd turn up there anyway ;)_

 _You'd be guessing correctly,_ is the most recent message on the screen.

Annabeth snorts and shoves Magnus' phone out of her face. "You are a _shameless_ flirt."

He does a smirk and a shrug, all, _oh, you shouldn't have,_ and Annabeth rolls her eyes, pushing past him to go wander into the kitchen for a snack.

"Wait, where are you going?" he calls after her.

"What?" Annabeth asks. Magnus widens his eyes at her in horror, like this is the stupidest thing she's ever said.

" _What do I say?"_ he whispers.

"Don't ask me," Annabeth says, splaying her hands. "I'm not the shameless flirt, or the gay guy. I dunno how these things are supposed to go."

Magnus huffs and gives her a last lingering glare, but then Annabeth's phone buzzes in her hand and his face abruptly brightens, as though there's a literal lightbulb over his head.

"Who's that?" he asks.

"No one," she says, too quickly, and he widens his eyes comically.

"Is that the same _no one_ you were texting under the dinner table last night?"

"You didn't see that!" she says defensively.

"Oh, but I did," he says, and smirks at her. "Is it also the same _no one_ that you were smiling about like a total dope on the couch just now?"

"I was _not,"_ Annabeth insists.

"To be fair, nobody else would have noticed, but _I_ did," he says, as though the admission is very generous of him. "You've been holding out on me!"

"It's none of your business," Annabeth says over her shoulder. She reads the text in front of him just to be annoying. He makes a swipe for her phone, but she dodges under his arm, squealing.

"Oh come on!" he insists. "Does it at least say something good?"

Annabeth purses her lips and reads the text. "Yes," she admits, fighting back a smile.

He goes quiet for a second, before huffing loudly. "Annabeth!"

"What?" she asks innocently.

"Don't be such a loser!"

"Fine," she says, because she would never make a leading comment like that unless she was willing to share. " _Good, bc tbh I've been trying to get your number all year."_ She bites her lip to keep from beaming.

"Oh, come on, you have got to give me the context," Magnus groans.

"He said, _Kinda hope I didn't ruin my chances with false advertising because I'm really not that smooth irl lol._ And I said, _Tbh I kinda set you up for that one because I was hoping you'd take the bait."_

"Did you?" he asks.

"Maybe a little," Annabeth says, shrugging. "I mean, Magnus, be honest, that's flirting, right?"

Magnus splays a hand over his chest dramatically. "And you call _me_ the shameless flirt! You're practically a Casanova!"

"Oh, shut up," Annabeth says, shaking her head indulgently.

—

When Annabeth gets out of chem the next morning, she finds six messages from Magnus, one more desperate then the next.

 _Annabeth, is this a date?_

 _Oh my god, Annabeth, I think this is a date?_

 _Can people go on dates in public places?_

 _I just realized that was a stupid question. Amendment: can people go on dates to GSA meetings?_

 _ANNABETH WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO DO._

 _ANNABETH YOU NEED TO COME. I NEED A WINGMAN._

It's all pretty pathetic, and she's admittedly disappointed that none of them were from Percy, but Annabeth can't quite keep herself from smiling fondly. She's a little less fond when Magnus snags her by the arm as she's walking out of the lab, though.

"Listen, I know you're busy with whatever it is you spend all your time doing, probably studying or some shit, but _you need to come."_

Annabeth grits her teeth. "Since when are you so needy, anyway? Just go to the stupid meeting."

Magnus makes a squeaking noise. "I can't just _go._ I need someone to scout and see if I'm not reading too much into it. I need someone to cover for me if I do something dumb. I need a _wingman,_ Annabeth."

"Don't you have gay friends that could help out with that?" Annabeth says, breaking out of his hold to go to her locker. "They would be more help than I would. I'm not much for dating, you know."

"Believe me, I know," Magnus agrees, and Annabeth pulls her head back from her locker door to glare at him flatly. He laughs, but sobers quickly. "But no, seriously. I just need someone to scan and observe, in the background, you know? None of my friends can do that. You're plenty good at _that."_

Annabeth heaves a sigh, and Magnus is thanking her before she even has the chance to agree to it.

—

She's somewhat regretting her decision later, when she's standing outside the door of the meeting room. She's on time, of course, but everyone else is late, which means she might as well be early, which is _awkward._ She's contemplating ducking out before anyone sees her, or at least taking off to find Magnus, but before she can, the door swings open.

The president of the club, Rachel Dare, stands in the doorway, looking as bubbly as ever. Annabeth barely knows her, but every time she sees her she's bouncing with that same manic energy.

"You're going to stay, right?" she asks, leveling a sincere look at Annabeth.

"Oh, um," Annabeth says, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I was just waiting for my cousin. But um, yeah."

Rachel smiles at her indulgently, and Annabeth groans internally. Yes, technically it's called the Gay _Straight_ Alliance, but everyone in their school mostly just uses it as a way to meet other gay kids. She's pretty sure some allies had shown up, but Rachel is such an intense president that she'd stomped out all the straw supporters. People in their school are pretty liberal, but Rachel makes everything gay enough to send even the best disguised homophobes running for the hills. And all the genuine allies picked up on the fact that they weren't really wanted ages ago, since all the queer people wanted the space for themselves.

"It's Annabeth, right?" Rachel asks, ushering her inside. Annabeth nods, wondering how she even knows that. "Right, well. Here, sign in sheet."

Annabeth sighs and pens in her name without protest, because it's probably not worth it, honestly. Rachel putters around the room as some more people filter into the room and Annabeth tries to look inconspicuous. Finally, Magnus shows up.

"You're late," she hisses at him.

"Sorry," he says. He doesn't sound very sorry. He scans the room and whispers, "is he here yet?"

"How should I know if he's here? You haven't told me who he is."

She's been watching all the guys come in, but none of them have been half as attractive as Magnus' mystery boy, not that it means much, given Magnus' flair for the dramatic, but still, she's been pretty unimpressed so far.

"He's not here," Magnus says, blowing out a breath. "Okay. That's okay. I'm gonna go say hello to some friends."

"Wait—" she tries to protest, because she's not terribly fond of standing alone in corners, but he ignores her and she doesn't want to cause a scene.

A few more people peter through the door, Rachel greeting each one fondly, but none of them seem tall, dark, or handsome enough to be Magnus' new boy toy. And then, to Annabeth's surprise, Percy Jackson walks in. Admittedly, she forgets all about Magnus, because she wasn't expecting to see him, and this makes her evening considerably more interesting.

"You came!" Rachel says excitedly, and hugs him.

He laughs. "I did tell you I would."

Annabeth breathes a sigh of relief, because this means that he's probably just here as a friend, to support Rachel, because this is incredibly important to Rachel. So he's straight, then. He must be straight.

Percy continues to talk with Rachel, which gives Annabeth a few precious minutes to compose herself and think up a conversation starter.

And then Magnus swoops back in, distracting her.

"He's here," he says nervously in her ear. "Oh god."

Annabeth can empathize. "Believe it or not, mine's here too."

Magnus rounds on her, letting his mouth fall open in surprise. "You invited him?"

"No," she admits. Magnus arches an eyebrow at her, and she reads it loud and clear, _you sure he's not gay?_ But she doesn't bother getting defensive, because she's definitely sure that Percy isn't gay. "Okay, where is he?" she says, which distracts Magnus successfully.

"Over there, by the door," he says. Annabeth follows his line of vision, except there's nobody over by the door except Percy and Rachel. She frowns, and is about to ask for clarification, but before she gets the chance, Magnus says something else.

"Where's yours?" he asks her.

Annabeth gestures with her chin. "Talking with Rachel."

Magnus frowns. "But… that's Percy."

"Yeah," she answers.

They just stare at each other for a second, before the other shoe drops.

"Oh my god," Annabeth says, at the same time Magnus says, "Oh, no."

"Shit, Annabeth, I'm sorry," he says, just as she says, "I'm so sorry."

"Well, hey, this isn't the first time this has happened to you," Annabeth says. "Not that it doesn't suck, but at least you know you'll get through it."

Magnus arches an eyebrow at her. "What do you mean, this isn't the first time?"

Annabeth blinks. "The first time you mistook someone for being gay."

"Um, no, Annabeth," Magnus says, shaking his head and looking uncomfortable. "It wasn't a mistake. He's definitely gay."

Annabeth winces. "Magnus, I'm really sorry, but he's not."

He rolls his eyes. "I know you like him, but trust me, he's gay."

She feels a few tendrils of annoyance. "I would know if he was gay. Everyone would know if he was gay."

"There are plenty of closeted gay people, Annabeth," Magnus says tightly.

"Magnus," she says coolly, "he asked me for my number."

"He asked _me_ for my number!" he shoots back.

"No, you offered it and he accepted!"

"Annabeth, trust me, straight guys _do not_ flirt back with gay guys on accident, and they definitely don't make plans to meet up at a GSA meeting," he says, tone carefully controlled, but not half as friendly as before.

He's got a point there, but Annabeth shakes her head. "He also made plans with Rachel. They're friends, and she's the president."

"And how many straight friends does Rachel Dare have?" Magnus asks, crossing his arms. "Exactly."

"But—" Annabeth starts, although there's not much to say. "But he likes me! I _know_ he likes me." And she knows, because she's been analyzing all of his responses endlessly to see if he's really flirting, and it's all pointed to the same conclusion. "You even admitted that!"

"Well I just, I mean—" Magnus cuts off, pursing his lips. "Yeah, it did sound like flirting. But that's, I mean, that doesn't mean anything!"

"Of course it means something!" Annabeth insists, happy to have gained some ground back.

"Oh come on, closeted guys flirt with girls all the time!"

"He doesn't seem very closeted if he's planning to hook up with a guy at a GSA meeting," Annabeth points out.

"You know, I'll give you that," Magnus says. "But that doesn't exactly make him sound very straight, either, now does it?"

"Yeah, I'll give you that," Annabeth echoes, wondering what the hell she's supposed to do now. She can't very well tap Percy on the shoulder and ask him if he's gay… can she? But she won't, because he's not, and so she refuses to put them both through that awkwardness just because Magnus has gotten it through his head that he's gay. And also, possibly, because she's a little afraid of what he might say.

"Okay, you know what?" Magnus says, with a glint in his eye that's trademark in the Chase family, the one that means, _I've got something up my sleeve._ "Let's split up, and—"

"No way!" Annabeth protests. "He'll be looking for you, and he's not expecting to see me!"

"Well, yeah, right _now,"_ he says, rolling his eyes at her. "But if we don't let him know that we're _related,_ then we can figure it out later."

"You mean both of us keep talking to him and wait to see who he likes better?" she asks, raising her eyebrows. Magnus nods. It's definitely a terrible idea, but games like this run in their family, and neither one of them can bear to back down from one.

"You know what?" Annabeth hears herself say. "Deal."

—

Magnus wins round one by a mile; even Annabeth has to admit that. Granted, he and Percy had plans, but Percy seems totally unfazed by how obviously gay and overtly flirtatious Magnus is, which, she must admit, is not a quality that straight guys are particularly known for. She has no idea what they're talking about, but it must be something very interesting, because they're watching each other raptly. They look good together, Annabeth thinks sourly, watching from the corner of the meeting room. They're both tall, but Magnus is light eyes and light hair and soft looking, while Percy is dark hair and sharp angles. She's also forced to concede that Magnus really hadn't been exaggerating about his new crush's looks this time: raven dark hair? Check. Eyes like the ocean? Double check. She just wishes the revelation that Magnus does actually have good taste hadn't come at her own expense.

Annabeth's experience is considerably less interesting. She spends most of her time wedged in the corner of the meeting room, warding off well-intentioned advances from the other members, and trying not to look like she's eavesdropping. Rachel starts the meeting and Annabeth scoots back even further so she can do homework without interrupting anything. And she's doing a very good job of keeping an eye on things without being in the way—that is, until Percy spots her.

"Annabeth?" he asks, clearly confused.

Well, shit.

"Hi!" she says, more brightly than she's feeling.

"Wasn't really… expecting to see you here," he says, looking at her a little strangely.

 _Shit._ She didn't even bother to think of a cover story. "Oh, I don't usually come," she says, mind freefalling for something convincing.

He smiles. "Same, sort of. I promised a couple different people I would, though. I mean, you probably know how seriously Rachel takes this, so I wanted to at least check it out."

"Right!" Annabeth says, suddenly seizing the perfect lie. God bless Rachel Dare, honestly. "I was supposed to meet some friends after school but they were late, and Rachel just tugged me in, wouldn't take no for an answer."

Percy laughs easily. "Yeah, I know how she can be," he says fondly. "She does a good job, though."

Annabeth looks around the room, and nods in agreement. "She really does."

She spots Magnus with one of his friends not-so-covertly watching them, no doubt gossiping about them. She catches his eyes for a brief moment and winks, to which he rolls his eyes up to the ceiling in a clear, _dear god, why me,_ expression. Annabeth stifles a laugh and turns back to the conversation without missing a beat.

"So, you said you don't come here often?" Annabeth asks, although she already knows that he doesn't.

"Nah," he says, shaking his head. "I always thought it was a little too… political," he wrinkles his nose in distaste. "Which is, you know, good, I guess, but not for me. And I get enough of it from Rach on the daily, so I usually stick to other stuff."

She nods in understanding. "So I guess that means you're free after school most days, huh?"

She wonders, idly, if that's a foul, and then decides she doesn't care, especially when Percy's mouth tugs upwards in a smirk.

"You'd be guessing correctly," he says. Annabeth's confidence takes a noticeable hit when she remembers that it's exactly the same thing he'd said to Magnus. She decides not to dwell on that, though—maybe he's just a passive person, maybe he just takes invitations as they come.

"Well, that's good to know," she says smoothly. "For studying, of course. I could use some friends in my English class."

"Oh, right, of course," Percy says, in mock seriousness. And then that mischievous twinkle is back in his eyes. "Would you happen to need a friend from English class tomorrow, by any chance?"

"Not particularly," Annabeth says airily, but smiles. "Although, I'd be perfectly happy to make an exception."

"It's a date, then," he says, and she wishes frantically that she could better detect the emotion in his tone. She thinks it sounds happy, but she's not sure if it's the same level of happy that _she_ feels banging around in her chest.

"Study date," Annabeth corrects, pointing a finger at him. Percy holds up his hands in a sign of surrender, shooting her a covertly cheeky grin.

"Either way, I'll have that to look forward to," he says, waving goodbye to her over his shoulder over to Rachel, who has been making exaggerated hand gestures for him to come over the entirety of the conversation.

Annabeth meets Magnus' narrowed eyes from across the room, and flashes him a double thumbs up. And thus, the _entire_ meeting is not a failure, because Annabeth takes round two.

—

"He's definitely straight," she tells Magnus on the way out.

He shakes his head. "No way. No way in _hell._ Straight guys _cannot_ jive with a room full of gay guys."

"Yeah, well, tell that to my _date_ tomorrow," Annabeth says, reveling in the horrified expression that crosses his face.

"That's not fair!"

"What's that expression, again?" she says sarcastically. "'All's fair in love and war,' isn't it? Pretty sure this qualifies as both."

Magnus pointedly raises his eyebrows at her. "So that's how we're gonna play this, huh?" He starts walking again. "Alright, you asked for it."

—

The study date finds them in a cute little coffee place a couple blocks away from school, tucked away in one of those locations that you only know about if you've lived in the area your whole life, which, as it turns out, Percy has. She knows because he tells her so, but also because it's obvious that he's New York born and bred from the way he treats the city like it's his own. She finds herself telling him about how she'd been a wide-eyed little Virginian girl when she first moved here, and even though she loved it, Manhattan had been the most daunting experience of her young life. She's adjusted now, mostly, but this city will never belong to her the way it does to Percy.

Percy arches an eyebrow at her when she pulls a textbook out of her bag. "Were you really serious about the studying?"

No, not really, she doubts she could get any studying done with him in such close proximity, but Annabeth takes pleasure in details. She's planned everything, from having her pulled off her face but still falling around her shoulders to wearing a simple white sundress that's both casual and pretty. She also always likes having a fallback if conversation suddenly ends up being impossible. She doubts that will happen, but you just never know.

Annabeth just shrugs. "Always good to have a plan."

Percy cocks his head at that, as though curious, and then his eyes widen as though he's figured something out.

"What?"

"You're a dork, aren't you?" he asks.

Annabeth straightens. "Excuse me?"

"No, like, not in a bad way," he assures her. "Like in a cute way. Like the 'I color code my notes and make a study schedule' kind of way."

Annabeth's still pretty much stuck on the 'cute' part and is assuredly bright red, but she manages to say, "Well, you can never be too prepared."

He meets her eyes and smiles. "It's nice to know. You come off as sort of superhuman."

Her laugh catches her by surprise. "Oh really?"

"Mhhmm," Percy says, nodding. "All calm and collected all the time."

"I'm happy it looks that way," Annabeth says dryly. "I'm faking at least half the time."

Percy's laugh is genuine, and it warms her right down to her toes.

From there, it's easy. She finds that she likes spending time with him, even outside the realm of attraction or interest. He's pleasant to talk to and good at making her laugh, and although he's nothing like the people she usually pictures herself with, he's better, somehow. The kind of person that you can't pass up, because they've exceeded all your expectations. He walks her home, which is stupid and sweet and makes her so happy she's almost giddy.

Magnus is sitting at the kitchen table when she lets herself in. She stands with her back pressed up against the door, and he looks up from his bowl of cereal. Funnily enough, Annabeth hadn't even given a thought to the bet all night, and is only reminded of it once Magnus says,

"So? How'd it go?"

Annabeth only smiles and finally pushes up off the back of the door, slowly making her way upstairs.

"Straight," is the only thing she says, laughing at Magnus' frustrated response, although her victory isn't even the sweetest part of the evening.

—

Things are pleasant between them, after that. If there wasn't a Magnus-sized thorn in her side, Annabeth might escalate things a little more. But however they might labor under the pretense of the bet, Annabeth really doesn't want to break her cousin's heart. She does, however, come to the realization that her feelings for Percy are more than just a little crush, and not something that are going to just go away any time soon.

She's relatively confident that Percy's into her—enough to brush her hand lightly, or bump her shoulder in the hallway, to introduce her to his friends. They keep texting, and talk more frequently, and Annabeth just likes him more as time passes. However, she's also very aware that he keeps talking with Magnus, too, which lodges a little kernel of fear underneath her sternum.

She can't really be mad at Magnus; it's not like she has any claim over Percy, but his comments are starting to rankle her, and she's pretty sure he's picked up on that.

"Gay," Magnus says one day, slipping his phone underneath her nose.

The only thing Annabeth takes the time trying to decipher is _Cinderella._

"He's not gay!" she snaps.

Magnus pointedly raises his eyebrows at her. "Defensive, much?"

Annabeth huffs. "No."

He quiets, pursing his lips. "Look, Annabeth," he says, a bit softly. "Like, I'm kidding, but I'm really not. I really don't think I'm reading into this. And I know you get annoyed when I call you his beard or whatever, but I'm not trying to be a dick. I don't want to see you get hurt."

It's strangely candid between them. Those emotions are always there, but they're not known to voice them aloud.

"I could say the same to you, Magnus, that's the problem," Annabeth points out. "I know you haven't met a lot of gay guys, or at least not any that you really liked. I wouldn't want to see you get your hopes up, and then be crushed."

"Well, then, I guess we just wait and see," he says.

"I guess we do," she agrees.

—

Sometime next week, Magnus walks home from school without her, which is unusual. Annabeth wonders if she's actually pissed him off, and feels a little uncomfortable at the thought. The major downside to being competitive is that it also means they're all sore losers; it wouldn't be the first time it's caused a family rift. And even though she's certain he'll get over it, it's still not something she really feels like addressing.

Bobby and Matthew come running over to her as soon as she steps through the door, hanging off each other and stumbling over each other in an effort to get to her first. They reach her at exactly the same time, but it's Bobby who speaks first,

"Magnus brought a _boy_ home!"

Matthew, not to be one-upped, quickly adds, "Like a _boyfriend."_

Annabeth freezes. "No way," she says, mostly to herself.

"Yes way!" Bobby insists.

"He's awesome!" Matthew adds. "He beat us all at COD!"

"I bet he could even beat you," Bobby agrees.

Even through her shock, Annabeth still finds the ability to scoff at this ridiculous claim. "Nobody can beat me."

Bobby shrugs. "They're not playing anymore, so who knows. Maybe after dinner you can play with them."

"He's staying for _dinner?"_ Annabeth hisses in horror.

Bobby and Matthew exchange a glance. "Um, yeah," Matthew says. "Mom said so before."

Annabeth clenches her jaw and smoothly pushes past the boys to set her bag on the floor by the counter. "Where are they now?" she asks, and she tries to sound polite and disinterested, but judging from the boys' looks, she sounds terrifying instead.

"They went upstairs. Into Magnus' room."

"They're in his _room?"_ she squeaks. "Jesus. Talk about a double standard. If _I_ brought a boy in my room, Dad's head would pop off."

The boys giggle. "That's true," one of them says.

Annabeth plops herself down at the kitchen counter and savagely grabs for her phone.

 _Cheater,_ she texts Magnus. His reply doesn't come for at least ten minutes, in the timespan it takes for Annabeth to get a glass of water and make a snack.

 _What's that expression again? "All's fair in love and war," isn't it?_

Annabeth glares at the screen.

—

"Did you know Magnus was having someone over for dinner?" Annabeth asks her stepmother as soon as she walks through the door.

She blinks. "Yes, I did. It's that boy he was gushing about last week, wasn't it?"

"Yes," Annabeth says sourly.

Her stepmother raises an eyebrow. "Is there a problem with that?"

She's not sure what to say, so she doesn't say anything.

He stepmother frowns. "Why? What's the matter?"

Annabeth kicks the counter. "I don't know. Nothing."

"Doesn't sound like nothing, honey," she says, beginning to move around the kitchen prepping for dinner.

"We had a bet," Annabeth sighs. "Magnus and I. Except if I lose this one, I think it's going to be a lot harder than usual."

"Have you told him that?"

"Well that's just it," she says. "I think it might be really hard for him if he loses, too. I don't know which would be worse."

Her stepmother is quiet for a while, and just when Annabeth thinks she's going to come up with something philosophically astounding, she says, "Dinner's going to be awkward, isn't it?"

—

 _Awkward_ is a very watered down version of what she's feeling when her stepmother calls everyone down for dinner later. _Dread_ sounds more like it, or maybe _deathly mortification._

She's been obsessing over how to react all afternoon, and has eventually settled on _calm and pleasantly surprised._ She has no idea if Magnus told Percy she lives here, but she would have to guess probably not.

As she's setting the table, she hears Magnus making introductions. Slowly, as though she's detached from her feet, she makes her way to the base of the stairs where everyone else has gathered.

"Hello," she says mildly, clasping her hands behind her back.

"Oh, this is my cousin, Annabeth," Magnus says. She wonders if she's imaging the gloating gleam in his eyes.

"Annabeth?" Percy asks, looking at her in surprise.

She's bright red; it can't be helped. "Oh, hey," she says. Her family has drifted over to the kitchen table, and she's not sure if she's regretful or thankful. On the one hand, less people to witness this massacre. On the other hand, no way to hide.

Percy glances between them. He might look vaguely ill, or that might just be Annabeth projecting her own feelings.

"I had no idea you guys were related," he says.

"Most people don't," Magnus says with a shrug, which is a lie. "But yes, I am a Chase."

Annabeth takes a deep breath, in through her nose and out through her mouth.

"Well it's nice to see you, at any rate," Annabeth says softly, wanting to gain some ground in the conversation. "Magnus didn't mention he was bringing someone over."

She shoots him a look and Magnus answers by sticking his tongue out, but the interaction is brief, because Annabeth would much rather focus her attention on Percy. She can't get a good read on his expression, but he doesn't look too spooked to see her, which is probably a good sign.

"Nice to see you, too," he says, and Annabeth would like to think that his tone is fond. Behind him, Magnus rolls his eyes and makes a gagging gesture.

Her stepmother calls for dinner, saving the conversation from growing awkward. As they shuffle into the kitchen, Annabeth makes eye contact with Magnus again and sticks her tongue out. He shoves at her shoulder in response, and she stifles her laughter.

As it turns out, dinner is not all that awkward after all. Percy doesn't seem fazed by her slightly eccentric family, and he makes a great impression with the boys. Her dad is absentminded, as usual, so as long as Percy doesn't do anything to make him choke or spit out his food, Annabeth considers it a success. Her stepmother is where the real question lies, but Annabeth can tell that she's impressed by how she raises her eyebrows and looks pointedly at Magnus when Percy answers one of her questions.

Annabeth has to mentally shake herself a few times and remember that the screening process is not for how well Percy is suited to Annabeth, but how well he's suited to _Magnus,_ and then her mood darkens significantly when she realizes how well it's going.

Her phone buzzes under her thigh. _Gay,_ it reads, from Magnus.

 _Not a chance,_ she types back reflexively, although it's not as confident as it had been the night before. When her phone vibrates again, she's not particularly excited to read it, until she realizes that this time, it's from Percy.

 _I feel like I'm watching a movie._

Annabeth smothers a smile behind her hand. _A good movie, I hope._

 _That depends on how it ends I guess,_ comes his reply, a few minutes later. Annabeth stops bothering to try and be subtle, and stares at the message for a few moments, wondering how she was meant to interpret that.

—

Annabeth beats Percy at COD later, and so she doesn't consider the night a total failure for her.

—

"I thought that went well," Magnus says snidely. There's no real heat in it—he's not malicious, just teasing.

"You saw what you wanted to see," Annabeth replies, breezing out of the kitchen. She doesn't mention her steadily growing fear that maybe, just maybe, it's the other way around.

This would be the time in the movie, Annabeth thinks, when she would confess that she doesn't care about the bet anymore, that she never cared about their stupid game the first place, that this really means something to her and she's terrified that it will go wrong.

She doesn't mention it, though.

—

Percy taps her on the shoulder walking out of English class the next morning. It's become a thing, recently: the two of them walking in the hallway together, pairing off for group work in class, chatting when the teacher isn't teaching.

"How come you didn't tell me you had a cousin?"

She swallows nervously. She can't very well explain, and now that Magnus had gone and let the cat out of the bag, she's not sure where that leaves them.

"Just never came up," Annabeth lies guiltily.

"That's what he said, too," Percy says flatly. And he's not stupid, of course—sooner or later he'll put it together. He might even be mad. Maybe he'll be so irritated that he'll just say to hell with them both.

Percy sighs and slows to a stop in the hallway. "Listen, Annabeth—" he starts, just in time for him to get cut off by a group of his friends. He ends up a few feet away from Annabeth, since she hadn't realized he'd stopped walking, so his friends crowd around him without taking any notice of her. Whatever he was about to say sounded important, and Annabeth could punch them in the face for interrupting him. Naturally, that's not even the worst part.

"Hey, you coming to the meeting later, right?" one of the girls says. Annabeth knows nothing about her except that she's probably a lesbian, judging from the way she's decked out in rainbows from head to toe.

Percy looks annoyed, and turns his attention away from Annabeth with a little difficulty, which gives Annabeth a tiny flicker of hope.

"You guys, I told you, I don't like all the politics," he sighs.

The guy—definitely gay, judging by the _We're here, we're queer_ button on his backpack and the rainbow flag on the strap—laughs and rolls his eyes.

"You know," he says, "for somebody as gay as you, you spend an awful lot of time with the breeders."

Annabeth is so stunned by the comment that she doesn't even react to it—she feels numb. The full shock of it will probably hit her later, but for now, her horror is distant and detached. She turns away from the group, so she doesn't look like she's obviously eavesdropping, and also to hide her expression.

The girl shoves at the guy and tells him to knock it off, but then turns back to Percy. "At least you could stop by and see that new boy you've been flirting with lately."

Percy presses his fingers around his eyes and blows out a breath. "Listen, guys, can you just give me a second—"

"And you know how much it means to Rachel," the boy adds.

"She was so excited when you came the last time! She's trying to reach a wider range, you know, so it won't be all activism—"

"Fine, fine, okay, I'll come!" Percy says, sounding frustrated, now. "Can you just hold on for a second, I was in the middle of something!" He whispers something else under his breath that Annabeth can't catch over the buzzing in her ears.

His friends seem to realize this for the first time.

"Oh, god, sorry!" the girl says, and drags the boy away. "I'm really sorry," she says, over her shoulder, even as she begins to walk away. Percy rolls his eyes, exasperated but fond. "We'll apologize to you some more at the meeting later!"

It leaves Percy and Annabeth alone. Suddenly, Annabeth is thinking that she probably should have left when she had the chance, because now she has no idea what to do, only the feeling that something in her chest is crumbling. Percy closes the distance between them, and reaches for her arm.

"Annabeth—" he starts.

"It's okay," she says suddenly, rushing to get the words out. "You don't have to explain. I—I misunderstood, and that's not your fault."

Percy frowns in confusion. "What? But that's not—"

Annabeth clutches her books tighter against her chest. "Just… Magnus really likes you, okay? So just… be good to him."

Percy's eyes widen, as though finally piecing together something. Probably that she'd liked him all along, stupid as she is. "No, Annabeth, wait—" he starts, a little desperately, but Annabeth is certain that if she stays around any longer she's going to cry.

The bell rings, saving her. Percy doesn't call after her; not the way he called out for Magnus, because of course he wouldn't call out for her. God, she's stupid.

—

Annabeth manages to pull it together, but almost loses it again when she runs into Magnus in the hallway at the end of the day.

"Oh, god, what happened?" he asks her, tugging her aside by the arm.

"Don't you have a GSA meeting today or something?" Annabeth mutters, scrubbing her hands over her face.

"Um, yeah," he says.

"So just go, and I'm sure you'll figure it out there," she says darkly.

"I don't… I don't know what you're talking about," Magnus replies, looking at her strangely.

"You were right, okay?" Annabeth sighs. "He's gay and he likes you and I'm just an idiot—"

"Hold on, Annabeth, wait a second," he says, holding his hands up. "Just tell me what happened."

Annabeth shakes her head. "Later, okay? I just want to go home."

"Then I'll come with you."

Time to put on her brave face, then.

"No, it's okay," she says. "Not like I didn't see this coming, you know? Don't stay with me out of guilt. Go talk to him."

Magnus looks hesitant, but eventually he nods and leaves for the meeting. Annabeth walks home alone, and finally allows herself to cry.

—

Annabeth fortifies herself in her room that evening, feeling too miserable to even do anything cliché, like eat chocolate and listen to sad music. She barely even cries—because, okay, yes, this was exactly what she'd been dreading from the very beginning, but at least she'd somewhat prepared for this outcome. It's exactly what Magnus said it had been, all along, and Annabeth is sure that she will be happy for them once she stops feeling sorry for herself.

She gets a text from Percy in the afternoon, probably while he's at the stupid meeting with Magnus. _Can we talk tomorrow? I really need to explain,_ is all it says. Annabeth just stares at it. She doesn't respond, mostly because she has no idea what to say.

Magnus knocks softly on her door when he gets home, and Annabeth answers not too grudgingly. At least she hadn't been crying too hard—she probably looks almost normal, save for the makeup tracks that are surely on her cheeks.

"Well?" she sighs. He's probably bursting to tell her all the details. Although surely he wouldn't be that cruel?

His response surprises her. "You really need to talk to him."

"What?" she asks, pulling back sharply. "Why?"

He smiles—soft, gentle, definitely not the ecstatic look she'd been expecting. "I'm serious, Annabeth. It's really not like you're thinking."

"Well then what is it?" she asks, crossing her arms over her chest somewhat protectively.

Magnus opens his mouth, and then closes it. "He explained everything to me, and I explained everything to him. And I would tell you, but—you should really hear it from him. Seriously, just talk to him."

"Okay," she sighs, and then texts Percy the same answer.

—

She regrets it when she walks into English the next day. She feels like she's swallowing nails the entire time, positive that she can feel the weight of his gaze on the back of her neck. She promised she'd meet him near the back of campus after school, so she doesn't think she's giving mixed signals when she bolts out of English like a bat out of hell.

She doesn't manage to put it out of her mind for the entirety of the next day, with increasing frustration. Her friends keep asking her what's wrong but Annabeth hasn't told them any of it, so she doesn't see the point in getting into it now. She gives up trying to pretend she's not flipping out eventually, and so is in full blown panic mode when the last bell rings.

She finds Percy sitting alone at one of the picnic tables, and, giving herself a firm shake to clear her head, approaches slowly.

"Hey," she says, berating herself for how stupid it sounds.

Percy nods at her, then takes a deep breath. Hesitantly, Annabeth takes a seat next to him on the bench.

"Magnus told me about your bet," he says. He doesn't quite look angry, just exasperated, and, if she's lucky, grudgingly fond.

"Sorry about that," Annabeth says, a little breathily. It wasn't that she'd been planning to keep it a secret forever; she just thought they would maybe laugh about it a couple months later after they'd been dating for a while. She'd been hoping for that, at any rate, but she really should have known better.

Percy rolls his eyes, a little irritated, but he's also smiling just a little bit as well, which makes Annabeth think that at the very least, he's not disgusted with her for placing bets on his personal life.

"Believe it or not, I'm used to it," he sighs.

Annabeth blinks. "Really?"

"Comes with the territory," he says moodily. Annabeth has no idea what he's talking about, but it mostly sounds like he's talking to himself, so she doesn't ask for clarification.

"Look, Annabeth," he says firmly, fixing her in place with those eyes. "The point is, I really like you."

Annabeth's heartbeats still, before doubling up into overtime. "But what about Magnus?" she whispers.

Percy winces. "Well, I really liked him, too. I know I was talking to you both at the same time, and I'm sorry for that. That was wrong of me."

Funnily enough, Annabeth really hadn't looked at it that way. She'd never considered that maybe Percy had been entertaining and responding to _both_ of them.

"I just… I mean, I really do like you. And you know, it's not every day that a guy makes a move on me, so when it does happen, I like to at least take the time to consider it."

Annabeth frowns. "But I mean… Magnus was right, wasn't he?"

Percy laughs and shakes his head. "No. Well, partially. But no, I'm not gay."

"But… but yesterday, your friends—"

Percy cuts her off with a laugh, although she's not sure what's funny about it. "Is _that_ what scared you off? I didn't even think you were listening."

"Why did you _think_ I left?" Annabeth demands, just a tad annoyed.

"I thought you were mad that I'd been talking with your cousin over the last couple weeks," he says. "That does tend to annoy most people."

"But I knew that from the beginning!" She protests. "Well, almost the beginning. I thought Magnus was just reading into it. He does that a lot, you know."

"He wasn't reading into it," Percy says, shaking his head again. "I would never do that. I know how that feels. I still feel awful about it, but he seemed cool with it when I talked to him yesterday. I don't think he was really all that into me, just having fun, kinda like I was. You don't get a lot of opportunities to mess around with other guys that way."

"I'm so confused," Annabeth admits finally, pressing her hands to her temples. "What do you mean he wasn't reading into it, if you're not gay?"

Percy heaves another sigh and rolls his eyes heavenwards, definitely exasperated this time, but definitely grudgingly fond, as well.

"I'm _bi,_ Annabeth," he says dryly.

Annabeth's hands fly up to her mouth. "Oh. _Oh._ I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have assumed," she rushes, horrified at her own ignorance.

"No, you shouldn't have," he agrees, but then shrugs. "Like I said, comes with the territory. I forgive you. Of course, if you can forgive _me_ for hitting on your cousin."

Annabeth smiles slowly, along with the bright, happy feeling welling up in her chest. "Of course," she says breathlessly. And then, almost as an afterthought, she remembers to add, "I can let it slide. You know, because I really like you, too."

"Oh, thank god for that," Percy says in relief. And then, his mouth tugs upwards in a little smirk. "I'd hate to think I'd been chasing the wrong Chase."

Annabeth shoves him off the bench, but she thinks she can forgive him the horrible pun as he tugs her down with him for a kiss.

—

* * *

It really speaks to how much I love percabeth that this love triangle didn't work out the other way around adlasdfk;adk


End file.
